City's famous youth club could close 'next month'

The Grade-II listed building is the last of 22 similar boys clubs built in Greater Manchester

A 120-year-old youth centre that became part of Greater Manchester's music history after featuring on a Smiths album sleeve could shut in weeks without funding, organisers have said.

Salford Lads Club opened in 1904 in the city on Coronation Street and has helped generations of boys and later girls as a recreation space offering activities like sport, art and music.

But the charity behind the club said the rising costs of maintaining the grade-II listed building, as well as a loss of grant funding, had put the venue's future at risk.

Laura Slingsby from the club said £250,000 was needed by the end of the November to "secure the future right now".

She told BBC Radio Manchester the maintenance costs at the Edwardian building were "extremely expensive".

On top of this, she said "a lot of grants and trusts people have relied on have closed", which had increased financial pressure on the club.

A public fundraising campaign has been launched and backed by Salford-born Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess.

He said the club had been there for "so many people over the years" and was a "real community hub with a place in music folklore" in a post on X.

"They need us now, so let’s rally round and help them out. Dig deep, it’s for the worthiest of causes," he said.

The venue was immortalised on the sleeve of the Smiths 1986 album the Queen is Dead and was visited by a host of famous musicians and footballers from the city in their youth.

It has been described as one of the "last original lads' clubs" in England, having opened as a boys-only recreational space for the children of Salford's dock workers and shopkeepers.

Salford Lads Club opened in 1904 as a recreational space for boys

The club opened up to girls in the 1990s and now helps more than 200 children from the city.

This includes running several youth football teams, an annual camping trip, and other events such as boxing, music and art.

The redbrick building has drawn visitors from across the world due its association with the Smiths, and most recently was used by Chanel for a party during the fashion house's Manchester show in 2023.